Body brace



(No Model.)

B. E. HOWE.

BODY BRAGE.

N0. 398,511. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,511, dated February 26, 1889.

I Application filed September 28, 1888. Serial No. 286,642. (No model.)

To aZZ whom i! may concern.-

Be it known that I, Ennawon Exnonii HOWE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, Fairlield county, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Body-Ih-aces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

This invention relates to braces or supports for the human body, and more particularly to that form of brace in which two bands of ilexij ble material are used, each fitting at one end to a shoulder-one to the right and the other to the left shoulder-crossing each other at the back, passing around the sides of the body, and meeting and secured together at their other ends in front oi the body. In braces of this construction it is essential that the bands shall be flexible, light, and strong, and shall not stretch or become distorted under the severe strains to which they are subjected.

My invention has for its object to improve the construction of these bands to secure the objects above pointed out; and it. consists in making up the bands of several pieces of ma terial united and combined in anovel and efficient manner.

To describe my invention more particularly, I will now refer to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view rcpresei'iting the complete brace applied to the human body. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 shows the outer face of the band that fits over the left shoulder in 1 and 2. Fig. 4 shows the inner face of the band that fits over the rightshoulder in Figs. 1 and 2, and 5 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 4.

The bands are made of any material of sufticient flexibility and strength. Linen is well adapted for ordinary purposes, and during warm weather and in tropical climates the bands may be made of netting, so that: they can be worn without discomfort.

The band is tapering in general outline and is made up of several pieces of the fabric, which pieces are shown sewed together, but may be united in any well-known manner.

The larger end of the band, which I call the shoulder part, is shaped to conform to the human shoulder and has an arm-hole formed therein. The piece (.L litsover the upper part of the shoulder and is secured at one end to the body part of the band by the lines of sewing a. This piece a is slightly tapering in outline, being narrowest at its outer end, where it is secured to the strip 1), composed of suitable elastic mateii-ialsuch as an elastic shirred tabric and'the other end of the strip 1) is secured at t) to the lower left-hand corner, as shown in Figs. 3 and l, of the body part of the band. This body part of the band is composed of two pieces, and d, forming a double thickness. Between the pieces c and (Z stays c, of whalebone or other suitable material, are placed, being held in position by stitching, as shown, or in any other suitable manner. The stays care transversely placed in the band at an angle slightly oblique to the edge, so that when the band is worn upon the body the stays will be in approximately vertical positions. These stays terminate a short distance from the edge of the band, so that no inconvenience or discomfort to the wearer results from their use, the edges of the band being flexible throughout its length. This double thickness of the band continues to the line of sewing c, the piece 0 not extending beyond such line of sewing; but the piece cl continues to the smaller end of the band and contains the fastening device. The fastening device shown in the drawings is of the ordinary hook-and-eye construction, the left-shoulder band (shown in Fig. being provided with the hook f, and the right-shoulder band (shown in Fig. a) having the series of eyes i i formed therein. In Fig. 1 the hook f iits within the outer eyelet 2'. It is quite obvious that the use of several eyelets provides a considerable range of adjustment.

A strip, g, is secured at the end of the band containing the eyelets d to re-enforce the material where the eyelets are formed therein, and the shank of the hook in the other band is held between two thicknesses of material, the band being re-enforced at the end by a strip, 7L.

The edge of the band is preferably finished by a binding, j, sewed thereto in the usual manner. In making up the band I so place the various pieces that the warp-threads of one shall be parallel to the weft-threads of those adjacent. In the piece cl the warp threads have a longitudinal direction. In the piece 0 the Weft is longitudinal and the Warp transverse. In the piece a and the re-enforcement-strips g and 7L the Weftis longitudinal. This arrangement of the component parts tends to prevent any distortion of the band by the strains to which it is subjected while in use.

Having now described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A band for body-braces, consisting of a tapering strip of flexible fabric, at one end provided with an ar1n-l1ole partly encircled by an elastic band and at its other end having a fastening device and reenforced along its body part by another strip of flexible fabric having its Warp-threads at right angles to the Warp-threads of the main piece substantially as set forth.

2. A body-brace consisting of two bands, each composed of a shoulder-piece, a, a bodypiece, (I, a re-cnforcing piece, 0, and an elastic band, Z), the direction of the warp-threads in the piece (Z being at right angles to the direction of the warp-threads in the pieces (a and c, and each band provided with a part of a fastening device for securing the ends of the bands together, substantially as shown and described.

ELEANOR ENDORA HOXVE.

\Vi'tnesscs:

HELENA W. Hoseoon, J. B. KLEIN. 

